London is the biggest single centre for credit card fraud with southeast London - particularly Thamesmead (SE28) - becoming notorious as the place with the most fraudulent activity in the UK, according to a new survey.
An analysis of over 30 million 'good' and 'bad' card transactions over the first half of 2008 by anti-fraud …

COMMENTS

What a surprise

So the most card fraud occurs where most of the money is. Is that really surprising? People are not going to be stealing cards from the locals in the poorest areas, with cards that are already over their credit limit.

hmmm, interesting

I wonder if the rates have dropped in Liverpool because the Police started taking notice after the last survey...I've been in a position to hand several people to the Police waiting for me to deliver high value goods to them, which they have attempted to buy with stolen cards - were the Police interested in this....were they f*%@!?! Let's hope they step up on a ntional scale and take some notice, the online figures have gone through the roof since chip & pin was iontroduced!

@ Stef

That's not my reading of it. It seems the locations are where the fraudulent transactions are taking place, not the postcodes of the credit cards' owners. And have you ever been to Thamesmead? Rich, it ain't.

I wonder any connection

Wasn't responsibility for credit fraud reporting moved to the financial institutions from the card holder last year

this year a record drop in recorded crime!

I suppose this at least gives the plods time to purse phantom terrorists - now where is that Head of Police always bleating on about terrorists in charge - on Yes the card fraud and knifing capital of the UK

Location, location, location

It seems that these figure are for where cards are used fraudulently. It would be more interesting to know where your card is more likely to have its details grabbed whether that be through the internet or by a doube swipe under the counter at a dodgy store.

Ah, 3rd Man again!

How are they getting on tracking down that international-criminal-super-dooper-AVS-circumventing database of theirs? You remember, the one that they announced to the world must exist, because of a trivial number of AVS colissions?

"only Cardiff and Belfast reporting notable levels of card fraud"

Agree with ChrisW

It's obvious that there is more crime committed in deprived areas. So it's no surprise to learn that stolen cards are used primarily in these areas. What would be a more useful study would be in which areas these cards are more likely to be stolen or cloned. What good is a report that says "by the way you stolen card was used in <insert local scumbag area>" Cheers I could have guessed that myself.

Blacks?

Clearly Mr Okubax you have never been to Thamesmead, whilst there are fair numbers of coloured, black and other immigrant people there I hardly think they are in the majority. I know the area quite well and a lot of the bad lads are more of a pikey persuasion. I really don't think colour or race has any thing to do with criminality whereas wealth or lack of is a contributing factor. However I have come across a lot of iffy people who come from good backgrounds and well off families who cover most of the skin colours this planet has to offer. Racism is for people who are too stupid to have anything worthwhile to say.

hmmm

"What might be more interesting is to look at the demograhics of the population in the area. I'm not going to give my opinion of this for fear of being labelled incorrectly, but I think it would interesting reading."

Interesting the obvious assumption made above. I would summarise the demographic as being POOR. I think you will generally find a tighter correlation between crime and poverty than you will between crime and race.

only Cardiff and Belfast reporting notable levels of card fraud?

Different Law.

Please note that in Scotland Card Fraud should still be reported by the card holder direct to Police.

The rule about Banks having to report such things is not applicable in Scotland.

Scots Law also defines wheel clamping as "extracting money with menaces" and stops it. Choke on that, Clarkson.

When I worked in South East London the local beat cop (yes, it really was in the dark ages) used to drink his tea while giving a running commentary on those passing by the front windows. Very few were not "known to us". Ah, happy days.

So

London - What a craphole

Its only when you move away to a decent city (Tokyo) you realise how much of a shithole London really is. Ok it has a few nice areas but they cost the earth to live in, the rest of it you have to pay taxes to keep the scum housed around you. No return for me.

@So

Demographics

The open comment on the "demographic" component is surprisingly refreshing on a moderated forum, given the usual pusillanimousness in such matters.

I live near Thamesmead. The "Pikey" element has largely disappeared since their camping grounds were enclosed and built on. I do rather miss the occasional punch-ups between our travelling friends and the settled community in the Barge Pole and the Harrow Inn; it was an interesting spectator sport. The significant current "demographics" are Nigerian and Vietnamese. The Vietnamese specialize in indoor cannabis cultivation. Since occasion oil export, maritime piracy and 419 fraud seem to be Nigeria's major industries, perhaps there is a connection to be made there.

Far be it from me to make it, of course; I merely lay interesting facts before you.